Kai-li Liu,* Shen-jie Xu,* Si-wen Chen, Min-jie Zhang, Ni Ye, Jie Li

Department of General Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Jie Li; Ni Ye, Department of General Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, No. 899 of Pinghai Road, Gusu District, Suzhou, 215006, People’s Republic of China, Tel: +86 139 6211 6580 ; +86 151 6246 0064, Email lijie_Li01@126.com; yeni0328@126.com

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between the characteristics of the intestinal microbiota and cytokine levels in individuals with different degrees of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) as well as to investigate intestinal microbiota imbalances in patients with OSAHS and the associated mechanisms.
Methods: Based on their sleep apnea hypopnea index (AHI), a total of 37 adults were assigned to a control group, a mild OSAHS group, or a moderate-to-severe OSAHS group. Fecal samples were collected to characterize the intestinal microbiota using metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS), while blood samples were collected to detect levels of interleukin-17a (IL-17a), interleukin-10 (IL-10), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in each group.
Results: 1. There was no significant difference in the Shannon index among the three groups (P > 0.05). The three groups showed significant difference in the relative abundance of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Bifidobacterium adolescentis (with F values of 3.955 and 7.24, respectively, P < 0.05), while showed no significant difference in the relative abundance of B. pseudocatenulatum, Bifidobacterium longum, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Haemophilus parainfluenzae (P > 0.05). 2. The three groups showed significant difference in the expression of serum IL-17A and TNF-α levels (with F values of 18.119 and 10.691, respectively, P < 0.05), while showed no significant difference in the expression of IL-10, IL-6, and CRP levels (P > 0.05). 3. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the relative abundance of F. prausnitzii was correlated with changes in BMI and AHI (with β values of 2.585 and − 0.157, respectively, P < 0.05), while the relative abundance of B. adolescentis was correlated with changes in IL-17a (with β value of − 0.161, P < 0.05).
Conclusion: The study revealed a significant correlation between intestinal microbiota abundance and cytokine levels, suggesting that gut microbiota disruption in OSAHS patients may be linked to systemic chronic inflammation.

Keywords: chronic inflammation, chronic intermittent hypoxia, cytokines, intestinal microbiota, OSAHS